Police pursuit ends in front of Long Beach Airport terminal

LONG BEACH — A man was in custody Wednesday night following an hour-long police pursuit that ended steps away from the entrance to the Long Beach Airport terminal.

Sgt. David Marander of the Long Beach Police Department said a 44-year-old Long Beach resident was in custody, but the suspect's identity was being withheld because of possible medical conditions. Police on Thursday said the identity still wouldn't be given out.

The man could face charges including being an impaired driver, failure to yield and numerous vehicle code violations, Marander said.

The police chase, which was the second in the Southland Wednesday night, began just after 9 p.m. in the 700 block of East Shoreline Drive, Marander said. The location is at the south end of downtown just east of the Long Beach (710) Freeway.

Marander said that an officer saw the man getting into his vehicle and appeared to be impaired. The officer attempted to stop him but the man drove off, leading police on a chase through streets and freeways at a range of speeds, sometimes exceeding the speed limit, Marander said.

Because of the length of the pursuit and the driver's apparent impairment, the following police cars backed off and the suspect was tracked by helicopter, the sergeant said.

"That way we're not making them get more excited or anxious and causing them to speed," Marander said.

The driver pulled into the airport around 10 p.m., driving erratically and appearing agitated.

Video of the incident webcast by nbclosangeles.com showed the unidentified driver moving frenetically inside the vehicle and hitting the steering wheel as he stopped directly in front of the airport terminal.

Police set up a perimeter around the airport, blocking access, Marander said, though it was only a minor impact on airport operations because of the late hour. A strict noise ordinance limits late-night flights at the airport.

An airport spokesperson said Thursday that operations weren't affected.

At one point the man turned the car and slowly began moving it again, and it appeared he was going to drive along a crosswalk that leads directly into the terminal.

The driver, wearing jeans and a white muscle shirt with a shaved head, then exited the car with a bag pack, which he placed on the hood and from which he removed several items, which couldn't be clearly seen.

He continued his agitated movements for a few minutes, got back in his car for a few minutes, and then exited again before several police officers detained him.

Marander said police used a Taser electronic control device on the suspect to subdue him. The man was in custody at about 10:09 p.m., the sergeant said.

The suspect was taken away in an ambulance.

This was the second high-speed pursuit in the Southland Wednesday.

Earlier that night, a police chase ended on the eastbound San Bernardino (10) Freeway in Redlands.

A male driver had fled from Los Angeles County Sheriff's deputies from the San Dimas area. He surrended to authorities at 7 p.m. on the 10 Freeway.

Los Angeles and San Bernardino County deputies along with California High Patrol officers found at least three bottles of alcohol inside the vehicle, authorities said.

The pursuit reached speeds of about 75 mph and went through three counties, Los Angeles, San Bernardino and Riverside, according to initial reports. It lasted for at least an hour.